Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

confidence game

noun

  1. any swindle in which the swindler, after gaining the confidence of the victim, robs the victim by cheating at a gambling game, appropriating funds entrusted for investment, or the like.



Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of confidence game1

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Also, confidence trick; con game. A swindle in which the victim is defrauded after his or her trust has been won. For example, The police warned of a confidence game in which people were asked to turn over valuables for a so-called appraisal, or The typical confidence trick is easy to spot if you know what to look for, or I almost let myself be taken in by her con game—she seemed so sincere. These terms, which use confidence in the sense of “trust,” date from the mid-1800s. They also gave rise to confidence man (or con man) for the swindler.
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

People purchase them because they think the value will appreciate “so obviously the confidence game will only work as long as people keep buying.”

From

It’s a confidence game, and you will lose money.

From

But if the banking business is ultimately a confidence game, the game ended quickly.

From

The British psychological thriller follows the emboldened woman down the rabbit hole of false identities and confidence games.

From

“This was really an ageless, classic confidence game that has played out over modern social media,” Assistant U.S.

From

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


confidenceconfidence interval